Automatic parking systems are becoming more common, and some automakers are offering several 2010 models with the convenience feature.
Volkswagen AG, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are leaders in the commercial introduction of automatic parking systems, which allow vehicles to identify and steer themselves into parking spaces.
VW offers the system in six Volkswagen models and the Audi A3. Ford's 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover and MKS sedan have it as well. Both worked with Valeo SA to develop their own ultrasonic-based systems. The Valeo technology, called Park 4U, won a 2008 Automotive News PACE Award.
Toyota's Advanced Parking Guidance System will be an option on 2010 versions of the Lexus LS 460, LS 460 L and hybrid LS 600hL and the Toyota Prius hybrid.
The Toyota version, from Aisin Seiki Co., started in 2003 as a camera-aided visual system on the Japanese-market Prius. But Toyota and Aisin Seiki have added ultrasonic sensors from Denso Corp. to develop the system into a more sophisticated feature that also allows the vehicle to back itself into perpendicular parking spaces.
... Read moreFord Motor Co. says it is pleased with customer acceptance of its new automatic parking system, which lowers the stress of parallel parking.
Ford says 19 percent of the 12,352 Lincoln MKS sedans sold through September have been equipped with the system, called Active Park Assist.
On the Lincoln MKT crossover, the rate was 26 percent of the first month's sales of 455 vehicles.
Active Park Assist, which is made by Valeo Inc., is available as a standalone option on the MKS for $535. On the Ford Flex and MKT, it is a $595 option. Active Park Assist also is available on the 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner crossovers.
Ford's parking system uses sensors and a computer to steer a vehicle into a parking space. The driver operates the gearshift lever and pedals.
(Credit: Automotive News)The system uses ultrasonic sensors in the bumpers to measure the distance between two parked vehicles. If the space between the vehicles is deemed sufficient, the system prompts the driver to release the steering wheel.
Using the vehicle's electronic power steering, Active Park Assist steers the vehicle into the space while the driver works the brake and accelerator. Parking usually takes about 30 seconds or less.
Toyota offers a camera-based self-parking system on the Prius hybrid as part of a $4,769 package, as well as on Lexus vehicles. Toyota says about 5 percent of Prius buyers get the system, which is bundled in a $4,769 option package.
The Toyota system requires more driver input than Ford's. The driver in a Prius or Lexus must use the car's navigation screen to determine the distance between two objects.
(Source: Automotive News)
The Lincoln MKS with an EcoBoost V6 engine is put to the ultimate challenge for speed and handling against four European luxury V8s up Loveland Pass, Colo. The challengers are the Maserati Quattroporte, the Jaguar XF, the BMW 550i, and the Mercedes E550.
Unfortunately, no real details of the challenge, such as fuel economy braking and handling, are released. More details about the challenge can be found at 6versus8.com.
We like Lincoln's new design language; that big winged grille looks good on the midsize MKZ. But the car struggles to separate itself significantly from its platform-mates: the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Its interior is generally nicer, but some control surfaces come from a common parts bin. The ride quality doesn't feel that much better than its lower-priced siblings. And much of the cabin tech, although excellent, is the same as you can get in the Fusion and Milan. This comparison leads us to ask, what makes a Lincoln a Lincoln? And does the MKZ have that quality?
Cars.com recently to a look at the powerfully smooth 2010 Lincoln MKZ. At $43,000, this luxury car competes with the Cadillac CTS and Lexus ES 350.
Tramontana showed off this tandem two-seater at Pebble Beach.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Last weekend's Concours focused on vintage cars from Porsche, but also showed an array of rare cars from other manufacturers in pristine shape. Because of the well-heeled crowd that attends the Concours, including Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld, luxury automakers show off some of their newest cars and concepts. This year saw entrants from Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, Tramontana, and even Lincoln.
Check out photos of the newest cars from the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
In yesterday's blog we were all enthralled by a battle of four "clunker" trade-ins filled with "liquid glass", and lemons attempted to one-up the other by outlasting their opponents in running time before the inevitable seizure of their respective engines. Today's clip is similar, but in my not-so humble opinion the duel between these two clunkers isn't the story here. What I found more amusing was the amount of smoke that this old Lincoln Towncar (I think...it's a Ford make so I'm close) was able to emit. And to me, the real story is that despite the driver of death's effort, this clunker's engine just refuses to go down easy. How inspirational! Keep fighting the good fight, clunkers! You will soon be forgotten.
I've owned a variety of automobiles in my lifetime, but one of the few that holds a special place in my heart to this very day was my old 1988 Lincoln Town Car (or as I used to call it "The Stinkin' Lincoln"). It was in no shape or form sedan-like: I'm talking about one of those big, boat-like cars with gas-guzzling 5.0 V8 engines that are sort of like a poor man's Cadillac. My Lincoln was white with plush, white leather interior and the fancy-looking wood grain. The feeling I got driving that Town Car was similar to what I imagine pioneering a spaceship would be like - it felt almost like you were floating as opposed to driving. It was a smooth ride to say the least.
The Lincoln has changed a lot in the last 20 years. The modern Lincoln resembles a sedan more so than a boat on land nowadays. And the modern Lincoln is also hip to GPS navigation technology, which brings us to the video that I've cued up for your viewing pleasure.
This vid features the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan. The highlight of this video is the examination of the Sync Navigation System as found in the MKS beginning at the :40 second mark. The hard-drive based Sync Navigation is touchscreen driven, although it can also work via voice recognition as well. Sync has many bells and whistles, with such features as USB & Bluetooth connectivity, and it is satellite connected via Sirius Travel Link to provide passengers with everything from weather forecasts to sports results. This baby can even rip music to its hard drive for your listening pleasure as well. And the ride itself...well, it still looks pretty damn smooth to me. Long live the Stinkin' Lincoln! Cheers.
Keep your hands off the wheel as the MKS parks itself.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)During the 2009 New York auto show, Ford let us try out a couple of technologies it is introducing. The first is called Active Park, and parallel parks your car for you. Lexus previously rolled out a self-parking car with its LS model, but Ford has refined the concept and made it more user-friendly.
For the demonstration, we got into a Lincoln MKS equipped with the technology and started driving. After pushing a button to activate the system, the car goes into parking spot search mode. We drove by two cars parked at the curb, and the system told us we could fit in the space between them, and advised us where to stop so it could commence parallel parking.
The MKS can find parking spaces for you.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)As with the Lexus system, we had to put the MKS in reverse and control the brake and the accelerator, but the car handles the steering. As we backed up, the wheel spun around on its own accord, steering the car into the spot. The park distance warning sensors sounded off as we got close to the car behind us, and the Active Park system flashed a message that it was time to pull forward. Putting the car into Drive, the wheel again turned, straightening the MKS out so it would be parallel to the curb.
... Read moreProbably the only race that Buick and Jaguar would finish in a tie is the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS), but both are on the top of the leader board this week. Each rank highest in vehicle dependability in a tie. Buick improves from a sixth-place ranking in 2008, while Jaguar improves from 10th place. Following in the top-five rankings this year are Lexus, Toyota and Mercury.
Toyota garners five segment awards for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Solara, and Tundra. Lexus follows with four segment awards for the ES 330 (in a tie with the Acura RL), GX 470, LS 430, and SC 430. Lincoln captures two awards for the Mark LT and Zephyr. Models by Acura, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, and Scion each rank highest in one segment.
The Buick LaCrosse was also ranked first in the midsize car segment, beating the Toyota Camry, while the Buick Lucerne came in second in the large car segment.
